ATTACK ON BRITISH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16646, 3 September 1914, Page 6

ATTACK ON BRITISH.

GERMANS THROW FORWARD THEIR WHOLE WEIGHT. MASSES HURL THEMSELVES ON WALLS OF STEEL FRESH TROOPS IN BRITISH RANKS. FRENCH DELIVER A COUNTER ATTACK. (Received SeDtember 2, 10.5 p.m.) LONDON, September 2. Mr Donohoe on Monday, cabling from a town in the Somme Department, says that the Germans were throwing the whole of their weight against the British on the" Allies' left wing. ' ; The battle commenced with a very heavy artillery fire, in which the Germans were well served by aviators. Fresh troops from England arrived in time to participate in the conflict, after spending soveral days in carrying out strategic movements and in troop trains. Many were reservists of South African experience. They were in the highest spirits, and as they marched to the front they cheered for the French and groaned for " William the Weed," as they nicknamed the Kaiser, apparently confusing him with the Albanian Prince William of Wied. ..>.,'. . , When the artillery fire slackened the German infantry force struck at the Allies' left. The British bore the brunt of the attack. Masses of Germans hurled themselves for hours against a wall of steel. Towards evening the British were compelled to give ground slowly after a day of- most sanguinary fight« ing. The success was dearly purchas* ed: The attacking German infantry fell in heaps. Stories of recent German atrocities against British wounded maddened our men.. \ The French right and centre contrived to hold their own. i When the full force of the German attack was spent towards evening the French trooDs delivered a sharp coun-ter-attack, the Germrms losing heavily. Tho fight continued to-day, when a fresh onslaught was made uoon the British still on the Allies' left. The British now are being reinforced and are confident of being able to check the enemy's advance. .<••-: ■

I A GALLANT ACHON. HEROISM OF AN ENGINEER SERGEANT. • (Received September 2, 11.55 p.m.) LONDON, September 2. During tho fight at Mons a handful of British held a canal bridge against overwhelming odds. The Germans a hundred yards away were preparing to rush trie bridge when an engineer sergeant saw that if they succeeded a section of the British would be cut off. There was so little time to dynamite the bridge that the sergeant wai only able to employ a few inches oi fuse. He ran forward and destroyed the bridge, but the sergeant's head was blown off. As an eye-witness said, "Another Victoria Cross was saveA."' \ ' ■' \ GERMAN LOSSES. THE HAGUE, September 2. German casualty lists received o©« cupy six full pages* of the " Reiohs Anzeiger." The killed and missing greatly outnumber the wounded. The dend include General von Buelow, killed at Haelen. MOVEMENT TOWARDS ANTWERP. OSTEND, September 2l A great movement of Germans front Brussels towards Lierre and Termonde is interpreted to indicate an early at«. tempt to invest and bombard Antwerp. , FRANCE'S DEBT OF GRATITUDE. CONGRATULATIONS TO BRITISH. (Received September 2, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, September 1. Sir John Fiench was driven round

the British lines and congratulated the troops on their splendid work. , General Joffre, the French commander, sent a message to the British thanking them for the services which had placed the French under a debt of gratitude they could hardly repay.

; ; CODE CABLES, IMBRIOANS INSIST ON RIGHTS. (Received September '2, 5.5 p.m.) - AMSTERDAM, August 31. It is stated that Jakdoski, German Governor of Brussels, has had difficulties with.the American and Spanish Ministers, who refuse to obey orders forbidding code cablegrams. The American Minister declares that he will up- .. bold Belgian rights while he remains. GERMANS IN BELGIUM. ■ MOVEMENTS OF TROOPS. BRUSSELS BEING FORTIFIED. (Received September 2, 7.50 p.m.)" OSTEND, September 1. There is considerable movement of • fresh German troops <in Brussels. Eighty thousand are due to arrive today. The Governor of Brussels has ordered the expulsion of all British subjects Within twenty-four, hours. 'The Germans are fortifying the environs, and the cemetery has been transformed into a redoubt. ,', The Duke of Brunswick. occupies the ' royal castle, and royally entertains a large company.' Belgians cycling in the outskirts, not joinprehending German, commands, are frequently shot. BRITISH CENSORSHIP. A SUDDEN TIGHTENING. REGARDED IN AMERICA AS * i SIGNIFICANT. / (Received September 2, 8.50 p.m.) V LONDON, September 1. '-'A. despatch to a New York journal states-that the Press censorship in London was suddenly tightened' at noon to-day without warning, resulting in numerous despatches relating to operations in France and Belgium being held up. The action of the British authorities .... is interpreted in New York as highly operation in Belgium may relate to a rear attack on the Germans by British troops from Ostend. < BOMBS FROM AEROPLANES. LONDON, September 1. A German biplane flew over Paris on Monday afternoon and dropped bombs without inflicting any damage. Two German • aeroplanes dropped bombs on Belfort, but no damage resulted. . PROTECTING THE LOUVRE. "Tiawe" and Sydney "Sun" Servicer (Received September 2, 6.50 p.m.) LONDON,. September 1. The Paris newspapers report that many airmen are going to the front to revenge themselves against the Hermans for dropping bombs in Paris. The authorities of the Louvre are protecting the chief works of art from E* from aerial bombs. , The Venus of Mile- has been enclosed m a steel £om, SJTWinged! Victory is sheltered bTheavy iron plates, and other master«Lc« -are truarded by sacks of earth. HTSppe? storeys of the building have been converted into a hospital flying the, Red Cross flag.

BRITAIN MUST GO ON. (Received September 2, 5.50 p.m.) LONDON, September 1. The military correspondent of the >'Times" says:—"We are faced, with war attrition on a very gigantic- scale. We have to carry out this strategy to the fitter end, since every battle we fiEht and every step which we draw Germany, further from home makes her difficulties more appalling and the success of our cause more assured.

BRITISH CASUALTIES. KILLED, WOUNDED AND MISSING. (Received September 3, 1.80 a.m.) LONDON, September 2. . It is officially announced that the casualties in one cavalry brigade and three divisions, minus one brigade, g ow< Officers. Other ranks, killed . .86 127 Wounded -. .67 629 Missing . . 95 4183 A considerable proportion of the missing are wounded who. have been lent to hospitals out of touch with of officers will be .published on Wednesday.